“Illegal immigration in Washington State is costing the taxpayers, that is you, $2.7 billion a year,” Trump told a packed crowd in the northern border town of Lynden, Washington. Trump declared that the attendance was “an all time record” for the facility at the Northwest Washington fairgrounds.

The Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR) cites $2.7 billion as the annual cost of illegal immigration to Washington taxpayers as of 2012.

“Washington State has received a large influx of refugees. And Syrian refugees are on their way to this state,” added Trump. “These people are totally undocumented. There’s no proof. They have no paperwork. Nobody knows where the h**l they come.”

It’s always shocking to think that the left seems to support illegal immigration.

Although it hurts the economy, weakens our national security, and puts a financial burden on taxpayers, the Democrats all but encourage it.

The only possible reason is that illegals are dependent on government handouts, more so than legal citizens, and that allows the federal government to expand its reach and authority.

Big government off the back of increased illegal immigration. Two evils serving each other.

The people of Lynden, Washington have had enough and came out in droves to support Trump. Although there were the usual misguided protesters, their numbers paled in comparison to pro-Trump attendees.

It’s not as if Trump is ignorant of the refugee crisis. He appears sympathetic to their plight. But sympathy does not mean we weaken our nation in an ill-advised attempt at aid.

His approach seems more realistic.

Trump expressed a desire to help refugees, but that bringing the refugees to America is not the solution.

“Right over there in Syria we should build safe havens. We should build safety areas,” resolved Trump, who said you would get the Gulf states to pay for such a project.

“We can’t bring them to Washington State and you don’t even know where they’re going,” he argued. “You know you saw what happened in Paris. You saw what happened at the World Trade Center. You saw what happened in California with the 14 people that they worked with, shot, killed, many people in the hospital.”

Displacing millions of people from their native home is unrealistic and damaging.

The United States has a dark history of displacing the tribal peoples of this continent, an evil that still troubles us to this day. Moving refugees across the world in a vain attempt to protect them is even more disastrous.

The plan of giving them safe havens in their own land is the best possible solution. Families will not be uprooted or dismantled.

It will prevent terrorists from using the crisis to slip into other countries. And, when the conflict is resolved, those refugees can easily return home. So why aren’t our leaders doing that?

The left might cry foul at Donald Trump’s policies, but they offer no realistic solutions. We can’t just open our doors to illegal and undocumented immigrants and expect everything to be alright.

We need to protect our country’s interests first and foremost. Then we can help come up with the best solutions to the troubles around the world.

You may not agree with Trump, but at least he’s coming up with solutions